Bakayoko joined Chelsea in the summer of 2017 in a £40 million from AS Monaco, however failed to impose himself in a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge.

The French midfielder’s form saw him shipped out on-loan to AC Milan back in August, with the Serie A giants having the option to make the deal permanent come the end season should he impress as the San Siro.

But Fabinho, who played alongside the Chelsea midfielder at Monaco for two seasons, believes the Blues could live to regret their decision.

The Liverpool ace told Yahoo: “I don’t think he struggled that much. I watched a few games and he seemed always good to me.

“Obviously, in your first season in a new club it’s always difficult and I wasn’t expecting him to leave, but AC Milan are getting a great player.

“I’m sure he’ll be able to prove how good he is and show what he did at Monaco. I’m sure if he comes back to England he will be stronger and will show everyone what he’s capable of.”

Bakayoko made his AC Milan debut in their opening weekend 3-2 defeat to Napoli, but was an un-used substitute in the recent 2-1 win over AS Roma.